Hello my friends! I am so excited to be sharing another Halloween collection with you all! When Lindsay from Night Owl Lacquer asked me if I would like these I screamed “Oh my god HELL YEAH!”. I was honestly looking forward to seeing what she came up with for Halloween this year. And spoiler, I was not disappointed!
So for 2022, we have the volume 3 to the Potion Ingredients collection. I swatched volume 2 last year so be sure to check that post out if you missed it! Like last year, I also have a limited edition polish for the brand’s anniversary as well as a new creme polish.
All of these polishes release this Saturday on the Night Owl Lacquer website. As always, links and sale details can be found at the end of the post. My live swatch video will be up later today!
Live Swatch Video
Night Owl Lacquer is a US based indie brand. Their polishes are handmade, 5 free and cruelty free.
Cap of a Toadstool
Description: a clear base loaded with red metallic flakes and white matte glitters
Price: $11
Cap of a Toadstool had a pretty good formula. It was very much on the thicker side but I did find it applied very easily. The glitter mix in here paired really well with the metallic flakes.
I did not have to hold the bottle upside down or anything to get really great coverage. I do think this one will likely be a 2-3 coater depending on personal preference and nail length. This polish does dry down with a bit of texture so doubling up on your topcoat or using a glitter smoothing top will get you the smoothest finish possible.
So I didn’t realize that there were mushrooms in real life that looked like the mushrooms from the Super Mario games until I swatched this polish. I think this is an interesting addition to a Halloween collection but I kinda dig it as a “Falloween” polish. Although the shade of red doesn’t scream any particular season in my opinion.
My photos show Cap Of A Toadstool in 3 coats plus 2 coats of top coat. I did opt to pair this one with a glitter smoothing top coat (KBShimmer Smooth Moves) before going in with the Night Owl Lacquer top coat. Removal will be very difficult/messy if you opt to scrub this one off.
Fang of a Gargoyle
Description: a pale grey crelly filled with black/red/copper multichrome micro flakies
Price: $12
Fang of a Gargoyle had a fantastic formula. I was very surprised at how opaque this polish was. The base didn’t feel overly thick at all despite it being fairly opaque. Not one coat wonder territory but still fairly opaque.
The flakies in here have that beautiful black to red multichrome effect that I can’t get enough of. They do not dry down textured at all but you will still want top coat to give this one some shine. This polish looks so nice matte!!
Grey bases are always a favorite of mine, especially this time of year. I fully expected this polish to be my top top pick from this release. Was it? Maybe? You’ll have to keep reading to find out haha.
My photos shoe Fang Of A Gargoyle in 2 coats plus both glossy and matte top coats. The flakies won’t be difficult to remove but they will be messy if you scrub this polish off.
Feather of a Crow
Description: a clear base loaded with blue/purple/burgundy/red multichrome flakes, black flakes & charcoal metallic micro flakies
Price: $12
Feather of a Crow had a really great formula. It was on the thicker side but I do not have any issues with the application. I was also not terribly surprised because this is a full coverage flakie polish.
Since it is in a clear base, you will want to build this one up to reach full opacity. The flakies do not dry down textured but since it is so densely packed with flakies, I opted to pair it with a glitter smoothing top coat before going in with my quick dry top coat. The flakies are a little top coat hungry.
This brand does a lot of flakie polishes in clear bases with reflective glitter so I kept looking for reflects in this polish. While this doesn’t have any glitter in it, the metallic flakies do give it some light sparkle.
I was really obsessed with how this polish looked in 3 coats, especially with a matte top coat. If you don’t want to build it up, It also looks great when used as a topper. I also swatched this polish in 1 coat over NOL’s Olive for Mustard which is the current creme of the quarter.
My photos show Feather Of A Crown in 3 coats plus both glossy and matte top coats. Removal will be very messy if you scrub this one off. If you build this one up in 3 coats, I would recommend the soak off method for removal.
Mist of the Moors
Description: a deep indigo filled with vibrant aqua/blue/violet large particle shimmer and holographic flecks
Price: $13
Mist of the Moors had a fantastic formula. The base starts out a little bit sheer but builds up really nicely. I did have a tiny bit of VNL on the clear part of my nail but I don’t think that will be an issue for those of you with natual nails.
I found depending on lighting, this polish leans very purpley (indoors) and more blue toned in natural lighting. Which I am guessing is due to the shimmer effect. Whatever color it is, it is freaking gorgeous! In my notes for this polish I called it “ridiculously purpley sparkly gorgeousness” so there is that.
On top of being super shimmery it is also VERY holographic. It was BAM holographic out in the natural lighting.
My photos show Mist Of The Moors in 3 coats plus glossy top coat. Removal won’t be overly diffiult but it will be a bit messy.
Skin of a Gourd
Description: an orange filled with vibrant orange/gold/green large particle shimmer
Price: $13
Skin Of A Gourd had an amazing formula. The shimmer in this polish is next level beautiful!
It does start of fairly sheer but the shimmer is extremely glowy, even in just one coat. I have actually been wearing this on my Cindy hand in 1 coat for close to a week now.
The shimmer is as described and again, ridiciuloiusly beautiful! I did have some VNL with this polish in 3 coats that I do believe will likely translate over to natural nails. I would say it was like 80-90% opaque in 3 coats.
My hptoos show Skin Of A Gourd in 3 coats plus glossy top coat.
Slime of the Swamp
Description: a swampy green crelly with green/red/gold shifting shimmer and it glows yellow/green in the dark
Price: $11
Slime of the Swamp had a fantastic formula. The base color is a prugly green which if you have been paying attention lately, I have been kinda obsessed with this year.
The shimmer pairs really nicely with that base color. It has a larger particle size so you don’t get any brush strokes with it.
The glow in the dark effect charged up really nicely for me using a blacklight flashlight (affiliate link). I do think this one wil likely be a 2-3 coater depending on your own nail length and personal preference.
My photos show Slime Of The Swamp in 3 coats plus glossy top coat. This polish dries down pretty flat so you will want top coat for a glossy finish.
Note: this polish seperates pretty quickly due to the glow in the dark pigment. Be sure to give it a really good shake before using. I ran it through my nail polish shaker.
Olive For Mustard [Creme Of the Quarter]
Description: an olive green toned mustard creme
Price: $8
Olive for Mustard had a fantastic formula. It was slightly on the thicker side but the kind of thickness that gets you an opaque creme polish and not a difficult to work with polish.
The base color for this to me is a lighter olive green. It has some yellow undertones but I wouldn’t say it was a mustard. Whatever color you want to call it, I love it. This is just prugly enough for me that I really gid it.
My photos show Olive For Mustard in 2 coats plus glossy top coat. This one wil likely be a 1-2 coater depending on your nail length. I think I could have gotten away with 1 coat if I was using this as a base for a topper.
Enchanting Night [6 Year Anniversary]
Description: a burgundy with holo dust and a subtle blue/violet/red multichrome that adds depth & richness instead of the usual in your face shifts
Price: $13
Enchanting Night also has a fantastic formula. This polish is so pretty! It was also surpingly opaque. Not quite a 1 coater but really really close.
I would say the base color was more purple than burgdany but that might have been the shimmer playing tricks on my eyes. The holographic in here was super strong as well. Sadly it started raining just as I finished this swatch so I wasn’t able to show it out in the sunlight.
My photos show Enchanting Night in 2 coats plus glossy top coat. You will want top coat to give this a nice glossy shine.
Final Thoughts
I love love love LOVED this year’s Halloween collection! The color story and the range in formulas was just perfect to me. I feel like both the creme of the quarter and anniversary polishes paired with the color story perfectly.
I rave about this brands polishes all the time and for good reason! They do all of the finishes perfectly. The owner of this brand recently sent me their top coat and it is also fantastic. I purchased their matte top coat a few months ago and have been using it regularly too.
My top picks from the collection are Skin Of A Gourd and Mist of the Moors. And I clearly really loved Olive for Mustard as well.
Night Owl Lacquer
15ml, 5 Free & Cruelty-Free
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Sale Information
All of these polishes will be available starting on September 24th at 6PM Mountain time on the Night Owl Lacquer website. For the main collection, each polish will be avialable indvidially as well as in a full collection for $66. These are not limited edition and will be around for awhile. At the time of posting, Potion Ingredients Volume 2 as well as Volume 1 are also available.
The Creme of The Quarter is not limited to sale only during this season. It is guaranteed to be around for at least 3 months after the season is over.
The 6 Year Anniversary polish IS limited edition and will only be restocked through November 13. After that time, once it sells out it will be gone for good.
